Lens polishing machine



Dec. 10, 1935. 1 ouc 2,023,811

LENS POLISHING MACHINE I Filed June 18, 1955- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :29 INVENTOR.

low/e L. Houcfi/lz BY ATTORNEYS. y

Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STTES' i OFFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to a lens polishing machine. it has to do, more particularly, with a lens polishing machine which is provided with means for automatically feeding the rouge or polishing material upon the lens grinding lap and which is further provided with special means for mounting the lens grinding lap or tool on the machine. However, these features are not necessarily limited in their application to a machine for polishing lenses.

It is now customary in the art to apply the rouge to the lap by dipping a brush in the rouge disposed in the pan which surrounds the lap and then use the brush to apply the rouge to the lap. Obviously, with this method it is necessary for the operator to constantly inspect the lap and keep a supply of rouge thereon. Attempts have been made to eliminate the necessity of constant inspection by the operator and the dependence upon the operator to see that sufiicient rouge is always on the lap.

It has been proposed to provide some means for automatically feeding the rouge on the lap. One of the prior art devices employed for this purpose embodies a curled spoon which is placed in the pan surrounding the lap and which is adapted to pick up the rouge and throw it on the lap. However, this device has not proved practicable and the method commonly used in the art at the present time, is to employ a brush for applying the rouge, as stated above. In prior art machines, it is common to have a pan that receives the polishing material and have the lap disposed within the pan and mounted on a tapered spindle projectingup through the bottom of the pan. With this structure, a concave tool would project upwardly a much greater distance than a convex tool because on a convex tool the depending boss, which fitted: over the tapered spindle, would be disposed partly up within the concavity formed in the lower surface thereof, which will be clear to one familiar with the art. Consequently, if a machine were provided with a curled spoon for feeding the rouge on the lap or tool, as described above, each time a convex tool was removed and replaced with a concave tool or vice versa, the vertical position of the spoon would also have to be varied. Also, because the tool is mounted on the spindle as indicated, it is necessary to have a pan with comparatively high side walls in order that they Will extend above the top of the tool or lap even when it is a concave tool. The rouge feeding device embodying the curled spoon has had a number of other undesirable. features and has not worked satisfactorily at all.

It has been found that the manner in which the tool or lap is mounted on the machine, as described above, is .not entirely satisfactory. As previously stated, the highest point of the concave and convex tools or laps will be at various points, if the tool is mounted on the spindle as described above. Another disadvantage of this mounting for the tool resides in the fact that it is necessary to employ hooks to pull: the tool from the spindle because the tapered chuck fits so tightly on the tapered spindle. Thus, it is difficult to remove the tool or lap. This mounting for the tool or lap has other disadvantages.

One of the objectsof my invention is to provide a lens polishing machine which is provided with means for automatically and efiiciently feeding the rouge on the lap which eliminates the necessity of constant inspection by the operator.

Another object of my invention is to provide novel means for mounting the lap or tool on the machine which has a number of advantages in itself but which also cooperates with the automatic rouge feeding device in a special manner.

In its preferred form my invention contemplates the provision of a machine of the type indicated having a tapered spindle and having a pan with a tapered chuck, adapted to cooperate therewith. Thus, the pan itself is mounted directly on the spindle and the lap or tool is not mounted on the spindle as in prior art machines. Instead, the lap or tool is mounted directly on the pan itself. The lap or tool is of special construction and rests on the bottom of the-pan. It is secured in position by means of an eccentric or cam lock.

The machine is further provided with a device which automatically picks up the rouge material and applies it to the face of the lap or tool. This device is of such a nature that it will work very efiiciently and keep a constant supply of rouge on the face of the lap. It is provided with a valve bymeans of which the amount of rouge supplied to the lap may be controlled. It may be adjusted to the proper height within the pan and held in adjusted position. Because of the particular mounting for the lap or tool and the structure of such lap or tool, the vertical position of the automatic rouge. feeding device need not be changed when a convex tool is replaced by a concave tool and vice versa. The highest point of the concave tool will be at substantially the same location as the highest point of a convex tool. Consequently, the pan need not have side walls nearly so high as the side walls of pans of priOr art machines.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View, partly broken away, of a lens polishing machine provided with the automatic rouge feeding device and with a. lap mounted thereon by the special means which I have provided.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the automatic rouge feeding device in position within the pan.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the pan and illustrating the rouge feeding device positioned therein and the means for mounting the lap within the pan.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken substantally on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken through the main portion of the rouge feeding device.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

With reference to the drawings, I-have illustrated my invention in Figure 1 as being applied to a lens polishing machine part of which is disclosed in this figure. However, it will be apparent that my invention is applicable to other types of polishing machines and is not limited to polishing machines but may be applied to grinding machines and other similar machines.

The machine illustrated is provided with a forwardly extending arm I having an adjustable depending rod 2 at its outer end which has a lens blank carrier 3 mounted on its lower end. This lens blank carrier 3 will have a lens blank 4 mounted thereon which contacts with the upper surface of a lens polishing lap 5, which is mounted on the machine in a manner to be described hereinafter. Spring and rod mechanism 6 is provided for exerting a downward force on the arm I which is pivoted in a suitable manner (not shown) to permit downward movement of the outer end thereof. Also, means is provided which is not shown for causing the arm I to move laterally in the usual manner.

I will now describe how the lap 5 is mounted on the machine. This mounting is shown best in Figures 3 and 4. As shown, the machine is provided with a spindle I in the usual manner which is rotated by suitable mechanism. The upper end of this spindle is tapered in the usual way. A pan 8 is provided with atapered chuck 9 located centrally in its bottom which is adapted to receive the upper end of the spindle 1. Thus the pan may be removably mounted on the spindle merely by passing the upper end of the spindle into the chuck.

The pan 8 is of special construction. It is preferably made of metal and is mainly of cylindrical form. It has a side wall III which extends upwardly a suitable distance. At the upper end of the side Wall an inwardly extending inclined peripheral flange I I is formed thereon. This flange is provided for preventing the rouge or polishing material from passing over the upper edge of the side wall If The pan is provided with a. bottom which is substantially flat. However, it is provided with a slightly raised central portion I2. Surrounding this raised portion is a troughlike portion I3 adjacent the periphery of the pan. The pan I9 is adapted to receive the rouge or polishing material which embodies a suitable powder mixed with a suitable liquid so that it will be in the form of a thick fluid. This material will normally lie in the trough-like portion I3. A socket I4 is formed centrally within the raised portion I 2 of the bottom. At the periphery of this socket a smaller socket i5 is formed. This socket I5 has an eccentrically mounted disk I6 disposed therein which is of less diameter than the socket. This disk I6 is eccentrically mounted on the upper end of a shaft I! which is mounted for rotation in the bottom of the pan and projects downwardly through such bottom. Thisl shaft I! has an outwardly extending pin It on its lower end to facilitate rotation thereof. The shaft Il may be rotated to cause the eccentric IE to project within the circumference of the socket I4 or to lie outside such circumference. 1

The tool or lap 5 which I employ with this machine is of special construction. As shown, it comprises a main body portion having a downwardly extending flange I9 at its outer edge. It also has a concentrically disposed down- 2 wardly extending annular flange 25. The flange 20 is adapted to be inserted in the socket I4 and, consequently, projects downwardly a greater distance than the flange I9. However, the flange 2!) is of such size as to permit the flange 2 I9 to contact with the bottom of the pan. Consequently, there Will be no danger of the polishing material or other abrasive material passing inwardly past this flange I9 and reaching the mechanism used for mounting the lap on the pan. 3 In mounting the lap in the pan, the shaft I1 is rotated by the pin I8 which may be reached from a point beneath the pan until the eccentric It lies outside of the socket I4. This will permit insertion of the annular flange 29 within the 3 socket I l. The shaft Il may then be rotated to cause the eccentric I6 to engage the flange 20 and thereby securely hold the flange within the socket I4. Thus, the lap 5 will be securely mounted on the bottom of the pan. It may be readily 4 removed merely by rotating the shaft I! which will permit withdrawal of the flange 29 from the socket I4. The lap 5 is provided with a central hollow space (Figure 3) to eliminate any danger of the upper end of the spindle I contacting with 45 the lap.

With this structure for mounting the lap on the machine and the particular lap structure, the lap may be readily removed and replaced whenever desired. No hooks will be necessary in order to be able to remove the lap. The eccentric lock may be readily operated to permit free removal of the lap. Furthermore, the highest point of the lap will always be at substantially the same point regardless of whether the lap is convex or con- 5 cave. Consequently, the side Wall It of the pan need not extend upwardly nearly as high as the side walls of the pans used in prior art machines. This also isdue to the fact that the lap rests directly on the bottom of the pan. 6

I will now describe the automatic rouge feeding device which I have provided. As shown in Figure 1, the machine is provided with a forwardly extending rod 22 which has its rear end secured to a suitable immovable support on the machine. This rod 22 extends forwardly into substantially tangential relation to the side wall of the pan 8. The forward end of the rod 22 passes through an opening formed in a s1eeve7 23. The sleeve 23 may be adjusted along the rod and may be held in adjusted position by means of a set screw 24. The upper end of a vertically disposed rod 25 passes through an opening in the other end of the sleeve 23. The upper end of this 7 rod is :threaded :and a; nut; 2.6 .isnthreiaded thereon above the sleeve 23. By rotating this nut 26, the rod Zimayebamoyed: upzandcdown. It may be held in adjustedmositionaby asetscrew similarv to.the setscrewa-M-threadedinto the upper end of the .asleeve.

The rod 25:extends;downwardly.intothepan .8. It carries on. its lower. end a memhernfl which is adapted to gather in; theupolishing; material when the pan 8 rotates. It willbe apparentthat when the pan rotates; the .polishingmaterialis thrown outwardly against the: side wall= 'Hl'thereof by means-ofcentrifugal-force and is .carried along with'the pan; This member 21 isso shaped that it will scoop in a portionr'of tl'iistpolishing material. The lowerend of' the rod 25 may be rigidly secured to-the member 21-=by means of screws- 28 as indicatedin Figure 3. "The-member 21 is so locatedthat it' will-lie closely adjacent the inner surface of the :side wall 118.

The shape of this member 21 is very important. As shown in the'drawings, it has aisubstantially straight-inner side wall 29 and a curved outer side wall 30 of substantially the same curvature as the side wall Iii of the pan so that it may lie closely adjacent the side wall of the pan. The side walls 29 and 30 are spaced apart to form a chamber 3i therebetween. This chamber is wider at its rear end than it is at its forward endas illustrated best in Figure 6. Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 5, the bottom 32 of this chamber is inclined forwardly and upwardly. The top is closed by a substantially flat wall 33. The forward end of the chamber 3! is closed by a wall 34. Thus, this chamber 3! is of substantially large cross section at its rear end but decreases in cross section towards its forward end and at its forward end is of comparatively small cross sectional area. The rear end of the chamber 3| is almost closed by a transverse wall 35. However, adjacent the wall 3%] there is provided a narrow slot 36 formed in the wall 35.

The side wall 29 is continued rearwardly past the transverse wall a substantial distance, as illustrated at 31. The top wall 33 is continued rearwardly in a similar manner. These two walls cooperate to form a pocket 39 at the rear of the member 21 and behind the wall 35. The side wall 30, however, terminates at the point where the wall 35 is formed. The bottom wall 32 has a portion 40 projecting rearwardly to a slight extent past the wall 35. However, this portion 40 is cut away at a point directly below the slot 36. It is important to have this pocket formed at the rear end of the member 21, as described.

The forward end of the chamber 3| has an outlet opening 4| formed in the side wall 29 into which the inner end of a tube 42 is threaded. In the outer end of this tube 42, a valve 43 is provided for controlling the amount of polishing material which will pass through the tube 42. This valve merely embodies a pin which has a transverse opening 44 that may be brought exactly into coincidence with the passage 45 in the tube 42 or out of coincidence with such passage, merely by rotating the pin. With this valve the amount of material passing through the tube 42 may be controlled or completely prevented. The outer end of the tube 42 has a flexible tube 46 suitably mounted thereon. This tube is preferably made of rubber. It extends over the lap and will feed the polishing material onto the lap. Since it is made of rubber, there will be no danger of?-ingiuring-zi.the:v lapever-1f it.;-contacts therewith.

5Jn usingrfliisxautomatio-rouge feed-ing device, the sleeve 23 is adjusted along the rod22xand .the-rod 2:5 is properly adjusted vertically 'in:the

sleeve 23, in order that the member Zlwill be properly. :positioned within :the. .pan. AS".Sh0WIl invF'igure 3,..the lower edge of the member 21 is preferably at a point just: at the top of the trough-like portionxl3, .Also, the outer wall 30 will'always be maintained in proper relation tor-the pan.

The polishing material in the form of a fluid orsenii-'fluid -will' ;1ie in the trough-like portion l3; as previously stated. When the spindle l is rota-ted thepan 8- and the lap 5 will also be ro tated. The member 21 will remain stationary. Rotation of the pan causes the rouge to be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the side wall of the 'pan and to whirl around with the pan. Since the material is thrown outwardly against the side wall of the pan, the member 21 will scoop it in. The material will be forced into the pocket 39 and will build up considerable pressure therein. This pressure of the material will serve to force a portion of it through the narrow slot 36 into the chamber 3|. Because the chamber 3! gradually decreases in cross sectional area, the pressure of the polishing mate rial which will fill the chamber 3| will be increased as the material is forced towards the outlet opening 4|. This material will be forced in a small stream under considerable pressure through the tube 42 and out through the flexible tube 46 and onto the upper surface of the lap 5. The amount of material applied-to the lap may be controlled by operation of the valve 43.

When rotation of the pan 8 is stopped, the material within the chamber 3! will automatically flow therefrom through the slot 36, due to the inclination of the bottom 32 of said chamber. Because the portion 39 of the bottom wall is cut off directly below the slot 36, emptying of the chamber 31 will be facilitated. Thus, as soon as the machine stops working, the chamber 3| will be automatically emptied so that there will be no danger of the polishing fluid drying and clogging up the device.

Because of the structure of the tool and the mounting therefor, it will not be necessary to change the vertical position of the member 21 each time a convex tool is removed and replaced by a concave tool or vice versa. The member 21 is so positioned that it will not contact with the wall of the pan and interfere with rotation thereof.

It will be apparent from the above that I have provided a novel means for mounting the tool on a machine of the type indicated and novel means for feeding the polishing or other abrasive material to the lap so that there will always be a sufiicient supply for proper polishing or grinding of the lens blank. Furthermore, these two means have various advantages in themselves but also cooperate with each other in an advantageous manner.

It will be understood that when I refer to polishing material or a polishing machine in the following claims, I intend to cover also other abrasive materials and lens grinding machines in general.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a machine of the type described, a panlike structure for receiving the abrasive or polishing material mounted for rotation, a lap, said lap having a projection on its lower surface adapted to fit within a socket formed in the bottom of said pan-like structure, an eccentric lock for maintaining said projection in said socket, and means for automatically picking up the abrasive or polishing material in the pan-like structure and feeding it onto said lap.

2. In a machine of the type described, a lap, a lap carrier, and means for mounting said lap on said carrier, said means including an eccentric lock.

3. In a machine of the type described, a rotatable spindle, a lap, means for securing said lap to said spindle in such a manner that it will rotate therewith, said means including an eccentric lock.

4. In a machine of the type described, a rotatable spindle, a pan-like structure for receiving the abrasive or polishing material, said panlike structure being mounted on said rotatable spindle and being adapted to rotate therewith, a lap, and means for attaching said lap to the bottom of said pan-like structure, said means including an eccentric lock.

5. In a machine of the type described, a rotatable spindle having a tapered upper end, a panlike structure for receiving the abrasive or polishing material having a tapered chuck adapted to fit over the tapered portion of the spindle, a 15 lap, means for mounting said lap on the bottom of said pan-like structure, said means including an annular depending flange formed on said lap, a socket formed in the bottom of said panlike structure and adapted to receive said flange, 20

and an eccentric lock for tightly holding said flange within said socket.

LOWELL L. I-IOUCH'IN. 

